How travel in France with my pets?

Pets are welcome in France but there are strict rules relating to bringing pets into the country. If you plan to take a pet to France, it’s important to check the latest French regulations. Make sure that you have the correct papers, not only for France, but for all the countries you will pass through to reach France. Be aware that these may differ from country to country depending on where you are relocating your pet from. Here is the general information you will need when you decide to travel in France with your pet.

Pet immigration rules for France

Pets moving within Europe can take advantage of the system of European Pet Passports, which is designed for domestic animals. The Pet Passport is a booklet that provides all of the essential information on your pet, including an identification number and proof of all relevant vaccinations. The passport remains valid for the whole life of your pet.

An EU pet passport can only be issued by a vet that is licensed and all vaccinations should be kept current by the vet who also needs to ensure that the pet is micro-chipped, has had the relevant rabies vaccine and has undergone a blood test to ensure that the vaccine is present in the pet’s system. If your animal was vaccinated before it was fitted with a microchip, it will have to be vaccinated again after the microchip is inserted. Additionally, if your pet’s microchip is not ISO 11784/11785 compliant, you will have to bring your own microchip scanner. The EU pet passport serves as the certificate of health.

Please note, pets entering France from a country with a high incidence of rabies must have a Blood Titer Test one month after vaccination and three months prior to departure.

Rabies-Free Countries

Pet Travel – List of countries classified as rabies-free according to many (but not all) country standards. If the country that you are looking for is not listed here, it may be found in high-rabies or rabies-controlledcountries.

NOTE: The EU does not consider any countries as being rabies-free. All countries are listed as rabies-controlled or high-rabies.

*** The countries of the United Kingdom and Sweden are still considered rabies free by some countries, however, as of January 1, 2012, new regulations have somewhat compromised their rabies-free status.

Rabies-Controlled Countries

As of December, 2014, these countries are classified rabies-controlled (Third) countries (having a low incidence of rabies) by EU Standards (used in many but not all countries). If the country you are interested in is not listed here, it may be a rabies free country or a country with a high incidence of rabies.

High-Rabies Countries

Pet Travel – List of countries with a high incidence of rabies according to EU Standards (used in many but not all countries) If the country that you are looking for is not listed here, it may be found in rabies-free or rabies-controlled countries.

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Angola

Anguilla

Antarctica

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Balearic Islands

Bangladesh

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Borneo

Botswana

Brazil

Brunei Darussalam

Burkina Faso

Burma

Burundi

Cabrera

Cambodia

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Ceuta

Chad

Channel Islands

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Cook Islands

Corsica

China

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Costa Rica

Cuba

Cyprus, Turkish Republic of (Northern)

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

East Timor

Easter Island

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Fatuna

Formentera

Galapagos Islands

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Ghana

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Herzegovina

Honduras

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Ivory Coast

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Korea (North and South)

Kosovo

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Macau

Madagascar

Malawi

Maldives

Mali

Margarita Islands

Martinique

Mauritania

Melilla

Miquelon

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar (Burma)

Namibia

Nepal

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Northern Cyprus

Oman

Pakistan

Palestine

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Peru

Philippines

Qatar

Rwanda

Samoa

Saint Barthelemy

San Marino

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Suriname

Sudan

Swaziland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Tibet

Togo

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Uganda

Ukraine

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Western Sahara

Yugoslavia

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zanzibar

Zimbabwe

Tapeworm Treatment – Dogs Only

A tapeworm treatment is not required when entering France from any country.

Health Certificate

The type of health certificate required for your pet depends on whether or not your pet’s transport is accompanied OR it involves a purchase, sale or transfer of ownership. Choose from two options below.

Non-Commercial Transport: the owner or a legal representative of the owner is traveling with or within 5 days of the pet AND the transport does not involve purchase, sale or transfer of ownership.

Non-Commercial Travel to France from a country outside of the EU:

Regulations in steps 1 and 2 apply. If entering France from a high-rabies country, step 3 applies as well.

A licensed veterinarian in the originating country must complete the non-commercial EU health certificate for France within 10 days of travel to download it, click here. If your pet is traveling from the United States, the veterinarian must be accredited by the USDA and the health certificate must be endorsed by the State USDA office unless the certificate is completed by a military Veterinary Corps Officer or GS-0701 series civilian government veterinarian employed by the military.

The CFIA must endorse forms issued by Canadian veterinarians.

If traveling to France from another country, then the forms must be endorsed by the government agency responsible for the import and export of animals.

This form is good for transports of 5 or less animals. (see item 6 if you are traveling with more than 5 pets.) The form is good for 4 months of travel within the EU as long as the rabies vaccination documented on it does not expire.

If you, as the owner, is being represented by another person, your representative must sign a Declaration of Non-Commercial Transport stating that your pet’s transport does not involve the sale or transfer of ownership of your pet.

Non-Commercial Travel to France from another EU Member State:

– Regulations in steps 1 and 2 apply.

Have your veterinarian update an EU Pet Passport for your pet. A non-commercial EU health certificate is not required for pets traveling to France from another EU Member State unless a rabies booster was administered by a veterinarian outside of the EU at any time after your pet received its microchip.

Commercial Transport: the owner or a legal representative of the owner is not traveling with or within 5 days of the pet OR the purpose of the transport involves a sale or transfer of ownership OR more than 5 animals are traveling with or without their owner.

Commercial Travel to France from a rabies-free or rabies-controlled country outside the EU:

Regulations in steps 1 and 2 apply.

A licensed veterinarian must complete the the bi-lingual version of the commercial EU health certificate for France within 48 hours of entry. If your pet is traveling from the United States or Canada, the veterinarian must be accredited by the USDA or CFIA respectively and the commercial EU health certificate must be endorsed by the local USDA (United States) or CFIA (Canada) office unless the certificate is completed by a military Veterinary Corps Officer or GS-0701 series civilian government veterinarian employed by the military.

If traveling to France from another country, then the forms must be endorsed by the government agency responsible for the import and export of animals.

This form is good for transports of 5 or less animals. It is valid for 4 months of travel within the EU as long as your pet’s rabies vaccination does not expire.

Your pet must enter through an approved Border Inspection Post (BIP) at an international airport in Paris, Reunion, Marseille, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse. Notice must be given 24 hours prior to arrival.

All dogs, cats and ferrets may enter France commercially from rabies-free or rabies-controlled countries. Dogs, cats and ferrets may only enter France commercially from these high-rabies countries and must have a titer test according to step #3 above.

Commercial Travel to France from another EU Member State:

Regulations in steps 1 and 2 apply.

If your pet is traveling to France alone from another EU country, it must travel from a licensed premises which is registered with the governing authority in your EU country responsible for the import and export of pets. Your veterinarian must obtain and update an EU Pet Passport for your pet. Your pet’s transport must be accompanied by an Intratrade health certificate completed within 48 hours of entry.

Banned Breeds

France restricts the import of the following breeds without pedigree certification: Staffordshire Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweiler or Tosa. These breeds must be a registered pedigree. Crossbreeds are not permitted.

American Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers and Japanese Tosas can be imported to France as guard dogs only with pedigree papers.

Owners must conform to import regulations above. Owners must have insurance to protect against liability. Your dog must receive approval from the local town council and be leashed and muzzled when in public. Mastiffs and Boerboels are not permitted.

Puppies and Kittens

Non-vaccinated puppies, kittens and ferrets are not permitted to enter France from any country or EU Member State. Rabies vaccinations must not be administered prior to 12 weeks of age and there is a 21 day wait for puppies and kittens arriving from EU Member States or rabies-controlled countries. The minimum age for entering France from high-rabies countries is 7 months of age.

If your pet is not a dog, cat or ferret, and especially if it is a turtle or parrot, you should verify that it is not protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). You will need to apply for additional permits if this is the case. Over 180 countries participate and enforce CITES regulations.

Airline pet container requirements

The rules regarding approved types of containers for cats, dogs, ferrets and birds flying in the cabin and as cargo were created by IATA, and for the most part have been accepted by the world’s airlines.

Pets in the cabin

On flights of less than ten hours, many airlines will allow small cats or dogs to be taken with the passenger in the cabin (except travel to the UK and Hong Kong). Generally, the airline will only allow one pet per passenger and a maximum of two pets per cabin. The container for the pet must fit under the seat in front of you and have a waterproof bottom and adequate ventilation. The Sherpa, Bergan and SturdiBag pet carriers are all airline compliant as long as the carrier is the proper size for your pet.

IATA pet crates requirements

Your pet must be in an IATA compliant pet crate and meet certain other requirements. It is considered best to have only one animal per container, but the IATA rules state that two animals can share the same container if the animals are less than 14kg (30lbs) and are of the same species.

If you are purchasing a container, make sure that it meets these minimum requirements:

The container must be large enough for the animal(s) to stand, turn around, and lie down.

The container must have a secure, spring loaded, all around locking system with the pins extending beyond the horizontal extrusions above and below the door.

Although this is not an IATA requirement, many airlines are now requiring steel crate hardware instead of plastic fasteners. We would recommend that you use this hardware on your pet’s crate to be sure there will be no problems.

Both water and food bowls must be attached to the inside of the front door and be refillable from the outside of the container without opening the door.

The container must have ventilation on all sides for international travel and three sides minimum for domestic travel.

The Container must have LIVE ANIMAL stickers on the top and sides in letters at least one inch tall.

NO WHEELS. If the container has wheels, they should be removed or taped securely so that the kennel cannot roll.

The container must be identified with your pet’s name and owner’s contact information. The best way to do this is to attach your pet’s information to the outside of the crate.

Make sure to attach an extra copy of your pet’s health certificate to the container.

Other Animals

All birds entering France from other EU countries and rabies-controlled countries need a health certificate. Birds entering France from rabies-controlled countries need to meet the following additional requirements: your bird must be quarantined in an approved facility for 30 days prior to transport. You must enter France with 5 birds or less with no intention to sell, rehome or transfer ownership in any way. Your bird must be vaccinated against avian influenza H5 at least 60 days before importation. Tests must be done for H5N1 PCR with negative results.

Invertebrates, tropical fish, reptiles, amphibia, mammals such as rodents and rabbits are not subject to requirements of rabies vaccination, but may have to meet other requirements and should have a health certificate to enter France. Mammals will need parasite treatment prior to entering France.

Veterinarians (vétérinaires)

There are vets in every neighborhood of Paris, just look for the blue and white cross. Pharmacies usually carry flea and tick treatments as well as many basic dog medicines (upset tummy, etc.), so if you need a vet pronto, ask at any pharmacy for directions to the nearest offices.

VetoAdom is a Paris-based 24/7 emergency vet service which sends a vet to your home. I’ve used this service myself when my vet was closed on a Sunday afternoon. They are very efficient and came within 30 minutes. The visit is €115 plus any fees for shots, medicine, etc. Pedro’s torn and bleeding paw cost €167 (and the vet will fill out the pet insurance forms and send a copy to your regular vet). Highly recommended. Tel: 01 47 46 09 09.